Anyone else here actually prefer looking formal?
Submitted by Ian on Thu, 11/01/2007 - 13:39.
I don't believe in business casual :p a jacket, pants, shirt and tie..that's all I ask, that's all I'd ask from my office employees. Even if it's just "men in black" black and white gear.
Anyone else place high emphasis on their personal appearance for business?
Work Attire
I'm not a big fan of formal attire either. The tie, the fancy shirt and the suit don't work too well for me. Then there's the maintenance of all of these suits and etc. I do admit it looks good and it's understandable if you have to dress formal in work but it's not for me. Plus I do know that in general employees are suppose to representative their role in the presentable way.
When I go work it's pretty business casual. Pants, a button down shirt and shoes. I'm use to it as much as I prefer to dress the way I do at home or outside of work.
Comfortable with Formal
Most of the discussion that has taken place so far has revolved around our preference for informal dress in the workplace.
Prior to strating my new job last October, I worked at home for three years for a small company. It was obviously very informal and, in all the time I worked for them, I never had to wear formal attire once!
In my new job it is the exact opposite. There is one day when we can "dress down" slightly and we are allowed to wear jeans for example. However, when I go in I always wear smart casual as it is the type of environment where I would feel uncomfortable being dressed very loosely.
Its funny because I feel entirely comfortable, happy and relaxed going back to standard, formal dress code. I suspect that part of it is that I have got used to various things at a later stage of life, but I am also becoming increasingly happy with change and able to take it in my stride.
The formal clothes do have to be very comfortable mind. My wife is a stickler for quality and has been buying me more expensive shirts that are very soft on the skin.
Leading on from this I am going to buy some thin, lightweight ones for the summer.
Dress Code
I am really pleased that someone has posted on this forum at last!
I know that my publisher Jessica Kingsley feels that this is one of the most important, and understated, issues relating to Asperger syndrome.
I suppose that it all depends on the environment that you work in. If it is in bank or a legal company, then formal attire is really unavoidable.
Personally, I strongly dislike formal dress: it makes me feel uncomfortable and stifled.
As environment for me is also one of the key issues that someone with Asperger needs to address in a work context, this affects by default dressing preferences - find an informal work environment and the issue becomes irrelevant.
However, I think that even in informal working cultures we have, perhaps, not given sufficient consideration to ensure that dress sense matches what is required and appropriate.
An environment can be informal, but dress code still needs to be sensitive to culture.
On a personal basis I have, over the years, become increasingly conscious of the need to dress smartly and appropriately and of taking real care in how I dress.
I have also become aware that other people will form a view - usually a detrimental one - if you don't.
Most will, of course, not openly state it!
I just like the whole
I just like the whole absolute conformity present in Japanese business, especially in the "boom time" of the post war period.
It seems to be a very efficient way of operating in my opinion, but then don't take my word for it..you can see the results everyday.
To get back on topic re: business attire, I have what I call "formal casual" (I know that sounds contradictory) tell me, have you watched House? ya know his casual jacket, jeans and a shirt or t shirt..that's formal casual.
Of course I can dress very smartly as well, no doubt some will accuse me of being pompous in the future, heh.
Ian
looking formal
All this image c**p really annoys me. You gotta look like this and do your hair like that... Lord in Heaven. I have a feeling it's worse for a woman because they are SO judgemental. I never liked being female and probably still don't. Maybe it's just a reflection of me not fitting in.
Laurie
Also, what about sensory
Also, what about sensory issues? I'm one of the aspies who is extremely sensitive to heat so heavy clothes and closed in shoes make me feel suffocated except when it is really cold.
It would be like torture to have to wear high heeled shoes or tight and hot clothes.
There is too much emphasis on women being "attractive" and wearing make-up. I don't need make-up and don't like it because it feels suffocating.
Perhaps we should avoid places with strict dress codes?
I'm not sure, I feel that
I'm not sure, I feel that formal wear enriches a business somehow, I can't explain it.
It's a key part of my Business culture of course, so I'm not forcing you to adhere to it =p
I agree with the sensory
I agree with the sensory issues. I cannot abide some certain fabrics, and hosiery makes my legs break out in welts. I feel immediate pain when putting on high heels, and have only recently found a good shoe that meets my standards and is business appropriate.
I am a firm believer that it is the way the person works that should be looked at. Appearances don't matter to me as long as the person does a good job. I cannot understand why this thinking practice is not adopted anywhere else. It would save a lot of people money, and everyone would be more comfortable to boot.
All I ask is that you do not smell. :)
i agree with that, more
i agree with that, more emphasis should be placed on performance rather then look. where i work there is not really a dress code, just rules like no wearing heels that are too high (they do not want u to trip when putting things away etc.) no wearing tops that show everything if you bend a certain way. stuff like that.
bodily comfort and formality of manner
I too have sensory issues with formal clothes, especially closed shirt collars. Fortunately in my current job normal attire is shorts, a polo shirt and work boots - which normally get filthy and sweaty by the end of every day. Although its been most interesting to live and work in the tropics I *detest* feeling sticky - sensory issue again. I'd be jumping in the shower every five minutes if productivity wasn't an issue!
Whatever my attire at work, I am aware I have a formal 'bearing' - it does get commented on in Australasia where a casual informal manner is near universal. I feel like I am Prince Charles; I simply cannot 'hang loose' or 'let my hair down' at any time.
Fabrics
I dislike any synthetic fabrics, but when I do wear cotton, it ends up horribly shrunk/faded/wrinkled. And I really dislike ironing. Not only do I have to worry about my clothes being appropriate and in style, but I have to constantly replace worn out clothing which is difficult and expensive because I am a plus sized woman. It is difficult enough to be judged on me being overweight, to throw in others thinking that I dress innappropriatly is jsut too much sometimes. I really don't know what other's expect me to look like. I know that my dress is sloppy sometimes, but I really don't know how to change it. What's important to me is comfort, not fashion. I want to be able to wear something to work that is not binding, making me too hot, and is modest. At least my other grooming habits are good.
Have any of you been told that your personal hygiene is unacceptable?
I am just leaving the land
I am just leaving the land of work boots for the land of work suits, and to me, its a relief! I kept 'getting it wrong' with my odd t-shirts...I just look funny in them.
My 'corporate' dress policy though, is trousers for women as well as men (unwritten, but a former supervisor of mine helped me out here) and flat shoes with no heels. (written policy)
I decided to cut down on the stress by giving myself a uniform: New York and Company stretch cotton collared shirts (if you hang them up wet, no ironing), black, grey, navy and brown pants from Fashion Bug (I am a size 18 Short so shopping there is simple, and they have three different cuts in the same fabric ranges) One black pinstripe suit.
Oddly enough, having a 'uniform' makes me seem (according to my male co-workers) smart, pulled together, and work, not fashion focused while giving the right image. Plus, my office is hot..so the cotton breathes and the touch of stretch doesn't wilt as bad.
Maybe a 'uniform' that you create might help you too?
Returning
I wanted to post on this area and have just noticed your comments from a while back.
I feel exactly the same way in my new job - funny isn't it?
For the previous three years I have worked from home for a small company. Very informal atmosphere and work code, no dress stipulations; even when I went into the "office" which I only did once a month or so, or to visit clients, I could dress smart casual.
All of this, of course, suited my Asperger outlook and the thought of going back into a formal environment where the attire needed to likewise worried me initially.
However, I have really settled in - as I have into the commuting into London - again. This has surprised me somewhat; but then again, when I think about it, I ask: why?
Reflecting on it, I think it is because I am going back to routines that I have done previously. I have commuted into London for years before so it is, in effect, no different. I have worn suits to work before; so it is no different!
The key, re-assuring message is that once I have learnt something it remains embedded. This always gives me confidence to go back and do something again because I know I "can" do it not just well but very well!
AS I get older this core outcome really enables me to face - and do - things, new things.
I like fashion bug too, I
I like fashion bug too, I have their slacks in all sorts of colors. Talk about comfort! I try to have a pair or slacks and coordinating work shirts in solid colors. I have chosed nav, beige, dark brown, black and dark grey. I also ahve a pair of corporate denim pants to wear on casual days that looks dressy. I have found that collared shirts are great with these staples.
Informal Formal Attire
I think that it is also possible (and obviously at times necessary) to dress formally informally!
I have always felt more at ease by dressing conventionally. If I'm in an office for example, I feel right if I am in a suit.
However, there is a happy median. What I mean by this is though formal i.e. suits may be the required dress code, they can be more casual.
One example from a men's perspective is more fashionable suits, rather than pure business, and not wearing a tie. The latter have become less de rigeur over the last few years.
What I think is important, and what I have tried to achieve, is to dress in sync with my colleagues. As I think I have mentioned before in the past I have, perhaps, dressed too tradiitonally and have taken little notice of fashion or trends.
However, by dressing smartly yet with an eye on contemporary dress, I believe it is very possible to strike the right balance.
Apparently it takes a lot of
Apparently it takes a lot of time to dress very well and I just don't have the time to shop for clothes. I also have the sensory issue of not liking to be fussed over by strangers in shops.
I also have this arty persona which has been part of me since I was little. It is tolerated in the public service here and the standard of dress runs the gamut from business suits to casual T-Shirts and shorts. I'm probably somewhere near the lower end. I also have long hair which is a bit unruly but don't want to capitulate to age by having a short hairstyle.
How you dress shouldn't normally impact on your productivity unless the clothes are contricting, too hot, or dangerous in some way eg. heels. It's more a matter of other's perceptions of how efficient a person is.